Comments on: Addressing the Big Picture

By: Stevie

Stevie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:13:17 +0000

This is a really timely post, as I will be attending an LMS exploration committee meeting this afternoon. The group is trying to determine what the “next” LMS of the school will be.

Each time this comes up, I keep thinking of the phrase, “small pieces loosely joined.” While I agree with the needs Brains95 cites above, I also think that there is some serious possibility inherent in having most of the learning happen in the cloud. I wish the term “LMS” meant a system of permissions, rostering, and assessment that permits administrative tasks to occur easily while also letting content, discussion, and assignment to occur in the cloud. Basically, what I’m thinking about is some technical means to tie together the things in the cloud that are desired/wanted/needed in a course, that has it’s own ability to declare permissions, rosters, and keep grades and other assessment items private.

By: Darren Lott

Darren Lott — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:03:40 +0000

I’m asking myself the question that Brain95 asks – in light of Web 2.0 do we still need all the features and licencing costs of a product like blackboard? I think the answer is no. If all you are going to do is add pdf files etc then you can achieve a great deal more with online tools like Ning, Google Apps etc. In fact I have built a whole learning system around Ning, basic website, wordpress, youtube and google sites. I still hav more work to do. But except for the cost of the website, which is minimal it does a great deal more than Blackboard. And the technology and options are only getting better.

By: replacing the LMS/VLE and making the most of the opportunity? « Learner Bytes

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:20:25 +0000

[...] also just come across Mike Bogle’s recent post: Addressing the Big Picture, where he asks questions about the suitability of a LMS for learning. These (management)systems are [...]

By: Brains95

Brains95 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:31:25 +0000

A learning management system like blackboard (My experience is with WebCT Vista) does three things that are important in online education. In order of importance I see them as

1. Simplifying assessment. Tracking assigments, handling quizes and grading discussions are pretty important for administrative reasons. These are the things auditors what to see in the Australian Vocational Education sector.

2. Providing a single place where students go to access their online course. Even if it’s mostly links to external sites.

3. Controlling access to private and copyrighted content. Not all learning materials are free and some paid content needs to be password protected. Some class discussions also need to be private.

These three rely on the fourth less noticed feature of an LMS which is integration with a student management system.

I don’t think the LMS is going to die out. We’ll still need them for years to come. However in light of Web2.0 do we still need the all the features and licencing costs of a product like blackboard?

IMHO
Brains95